Rob Ford's approval rating sinks to new low, Doug Fordís even worse

Rob Ford has never been more unpopular, a poll suggests, and his brother is liked even less.

The mayor’s approval rating sank to a new low, 32 per cent, in a Forum Research poll conducted on Wednesday. That is down from 38 per cent in a Forum poll done on May 1, immediately after he announced he was taking a leave of absence to seek help for his problem with alcohol.

Prior to that poll, his approval rating had appeared impervious to scandal. He had confounded critics by managing to stay at 40 per cent or higher in all but one of the 39 surveys released by Forum since February 2012.

The Wednesday results were not all bad for Ford. They suggest he remains in third place in the mayoral election, weaker than when he launched his campaign but still within striking distance.

Olivia Chow had the support of 36 per cent of respondents, John Tory 27 per cent, Ford 24 per cent, and David Soknacki and Karen Stintz 3 per cent apiece.

Curiously, Ford’s 24 per cent support figure represents an increase of 2 percentage points over the May 1 poll. That is not statistically significant, since it is within the poll’s margin of error. It may suggest, though, that he has lost the approval of people who were not going to vote for him anyway.

The new poll comes amid uncertainty about Ford’s plans. He has not announced a date for his return to office or to the race, and Councillor Doug Ford, his campaign manager, has refused to rule out the possibility that he will take his brother’s place on the ballot.

Doug Ford did poorly in a five-candidate race tested by Forum for the first time: Chow had 37 per cent support, Tory 26 per cent, Doug Ford 20 per cent, Soknacki and Stintz 4 per cent apiece.

Doug Ford’s approval rating was a mere 30 per cent; 66 per cent disapproved of him. By contrast, 68 per cent approved of Tory, while 32 per cent disapproved; 59 per cent approved of Chow, 41 per cent disapproved; 50 per cent approved of Soknacki, 50 per cent disapproved; and 49 per cent approved of Stintz, 51 per cent disapproved.

Operatives for rival campaigns have long believed that even a scandal-weakened Rob Ford is a more formidable candidate than Doug Ford, who does not share the mayor’s history of constituency work or his everyman persona.

Rob is trying a "Rehab" trick on his constituents to see if he can garner another term feeding at the public trough and doing a line of Coke courtesy the taxpayers. I hope the Tpronto voters see through this charade.

Rob is trying a "Rehab" trick on his constituents to see if he can garner another term feeding at the public trough and doing a line of Coke courtesy the taxpayers. I hope the Tpronto voters see through this charade.

If he really wanted that to work, he would have done it sometime in November of last year.

6 more months of lies and downward spiral definitely didn't help his case.

Mugging for photos while he was supposed to be in rehab didn't help his case.

I think the sympathy well has all but dried up. At this point you will either vote for him no matter what, or you will never ever vote for him again.

Looks like Rob is well on the road to recovery, hope he makes it and can hold on to the mayor's job. I saw Olivia Chow on the idiot box "campaigning", didn't have much to say for herself, just how bad Ford is..........................typical politician I guess!

Looks like Rob is well on the road to recovery, hope he makes it and can hold on to the mayor's job. I saw Olivia Chow on the idiot box "campaigning", didn't have much to say for herself, just how bad Ford is..........................typical politician I guess!

Looks like Rob is well on the road to recovery, hope he makes it and can hold on to the mayor's job. I saw Olivia Chow on the idiot box "campaigning", didn't have much to say for herself, just how bad Ford is..........................typical politician I guess!

If Olivia Chow had any integrity she'd become a crackhead herself. It's just shameful the way she reminds us that her opponent is a crackhead. What about the issues, Olivia? And no, "do you want a crackhead for a mayor" is not an issue.

If Olivia Chow had any integrity she'd become a crackhead herself. It's just shameful the way she reminds us that her opponent is a crackhead. What about the issues, Olivia? And no, "do you want a crackhead for a mayor" is not an issue.

Well, THAT might be a little extreme, but yeah, the woman certainly didn't impress me. Denigrate Fords, smoking and drinking for sure, but she's the first one I've heard denigrate his politics.................at least to that degree!

Well, THAT might be a little extreme, but yeah, the woman certainly didn't impress me. Denigrate Fords, smoking and drinking for sure, but she's the first one I've heard denigrate his politics.................at least to that degree!

I meant my post as a joke. How can you not run a negative campaign? Rob Ford is a trainwreck.

why do attack ads work...I hate them and everyone I know hates them...they appeal only to the lowest denominator yet they still work...why?

Because people gravitate toward the morbid and lurid. Just look at the entertainment, what draws the bigger audience, Dracula or Mary Poppins? People simply can not leave Ford alone. I was watching the details of his entry back to mayor and it's amazing how many people criticised him for not going into details about all his transgressions. He said "I am embarrassed, I am ashamed, I am humiliated, I was wrong" How much more do people expect? He pretty well covered it. Wallowing in past indiscretions does nobody any good.

that's because in spite of his weight loss he is still morbidly obese and although he is attempting to heal himself...two months does not give the body much time up against 25 years of abuse...

I think it is why former addicts say he is not ready and not doing the right thing for anyone especially himself

and is that surprising really after what we have witnessed? he does not know his limits.... we shall see...

I think there was a lot of emotion involved in his return...

Quote: Originally Posted by JLM

Because people gravitate toward the morbid and lurid. Just look at the entertainment, what draws the bigger audience, Dracula or Mary Poppins? People simply can not leave Ford alone. I was watching the details of his entry back to mayor and it's amazing how many people criticised him for not going into details about all his transgressions. He said "I am embarrassed, I am ashamed, I am humiliated, I was wrong" How much more do people expect? He pretty well covered it. Wallowing in past indiscretions does nobody any good.

I don't think Olivia Chow is a crackhead. Have you seen any evidence to the contrary?

Quote: Originally Posted by IdRatherBeSkiing

One questions the validity of her campaign when her only option is to run attack ads against a mayor that really has done his own attack ads for himself.

Well presumably she wouldn't want to run a campaign that didn't focus on the issues, and in that case you'd have to distinguish yourself from your opponent. I think a major issue in Toronto right now is that their mayor is on crack. Olivia Chow's best advantage over Rob Ford is that she's not on crack.

I don't think Olivia Chow is a crackhead. Have you seen any evidence to the contrary?

Well presumably she wouldn't want to run a campaign that didn't focus on the issues, and in that case you'd have to distinguish yourself from your opponent. I think a major issue in Toronto right now is that their mayor is on crack. Olivia Chow's best advantage over Rob Ford is that she's not on crack.

"There's more than one way to skin a cat". So Olivia Chow's best advantage over Ford is "she's not on crack" - whoopee ding! That would probably apply to 21/2 million other Torontonians! If that's the only way she surpasses Ford, the woman has a problem................big time!

"There's more than one way to skin a cat". So Olivia Chow's best advantage over Ford is "she's not on crack" - whoopee ding! That would probably apply to 21/2 million other Torontonians!

Not being on crack isn't usually something that matters when choosing a mayor. Usually your choices aren't on crack, so you have to look somewhere else when voting. But Rob Ford is on crack, so here we are.

Not being on crack isn't usually something that matters when choosing a mayor. Usually your choices aren't on crack, so you have to look somewhere else when voting. But Rob Ford is on crack, so here we are.

I'm not on crack.
I'm not on crack.
I'm not on crack.
I'm not on crack.
I'm not on crack.
I'm not on crack.
OK, I was on crack but now I'm better!

If you can trust this man, you have heroic levels of gullibility. It's amazing that your main complaint about this campaign is not "the mayor is on crack" but "people won't vote for the mayor because he's on crack". Oh, that darn negative campaigning! It will be the ruin of us all. Why can't people just look passed the fact that Rob Ford is a pathologically lying crackhead?

I'm not on crack.
I'm not on crack.
I'm not on crack.
I'm not on crack.
I'm not on crack.
I'm not on crack.
OK, I was on crack but now I'm better!

If you can trust this man, you have heroic levels of gullibility. It's amazing that your main complaint about this campaign is not "the mayor is on crack" but "people won't vote for the mayor because he's on crack". Oh, that darn negative campaigning! It will be the ruin of us all. Why can't people just look passed the fact that Rob Ford is a pathologically lying crackhead?

That was before he went for treatment. I've known several people who have reached depths like Ford has and came out OK on the other side. What he has done so far is about middle of the pack as far as politicians are concerned. The others are just a little more hypocritical.